When I first learned of Chia seeds it reminded me of my childhood days, where you would see commercials of a green pet where Chia sprouts grew within a few weeks to resemble animals fur or hair. Fast forward to the past 5-10 years where Chia seeds have become widely popular as a food to consume.
What exactly are Chia seeds? They are seeds that come from a plant grown in Mexico dating back to the Mayan and Aztec cultures. Chia seeds have an enormous amount of Omega-3 Fatty Acids and some research states that it has more Omega 3 than Flax Seeds. It also has healthy carbohydrates, protein, fiber, antioxidants and calcium.

An ounce of Chia seeds (2 table spoons) has 4 grams of protein, 11 grams of fiber, 9 grams of fat and various minerals and vitamins. The importance of Omega-3 Fatty Acids is that your body requires it, but is unable to produce it in the body. That being said the body obtains Omega-3 Fatty Acids from food. Why is Omega-3 so important? There are a wide number of reasons. It can help fight Depression and Anxiety, helps improve eye health, reduces inflammation in the body, can improve mental health disorders and can help reduce symptoms of ADHD in children. There are a vast number of other health benefits.

The best way to use Chia seeds is to sprinkle 2 tablespoons of it into your cereal or oatmeal. You can also mix it into your smoothie and most importantly you can make a Chia Seed Pudding like I do. Its very simple. Here is the recipe below if you are interested.

1) Pour 2/3 cup of Almond Milk or Cashew Milk into a glass container.
2) Mix 1 tablespoon of pure unpasteurized honey in the container.
3) Mix 6 tablespoons of Chia seeds in the container.
4) Place lid on container and refrigerate over night.

The next morning you will see that the Chia seeds will have expanded in the liquid. You can place some blueberries in the pudding and stir contents together.

Enjoy.

Smoothies and natural juicing has become quite popular especially the last few years as a way to get the nutrients and vitamins that your body needs. We all know that in order to get all the proper nutrients that one needs, we do have to eat a lot more than the traditional 3 meals per day. We live in a culture, especially in North America where it is a work based society and there isn’t a balance between work and play. We can really learn a lot from our neighbours on the eastern side of this globe as they are have more work life balance. This means that majority of the people here do not have time to eat throughout the day and are unable to get all the vitamins and nutrients that their body needs. Some even skip meals because they do not have the time to eat. We all have to make time to eat properly. I am a believer in eating small portions or small meals throughout the day, rather than the traditional 3 large meals per day. You can almost call it grazing, if you want to call it that. At least this way if you are maintaining a balance of your blood sugar/glucose levels and preventing those lows and spikes in your sugar levels. Smoothies are a great way to pack all the fruits and/or vegetables into a single drink. Hopefully your digestive system absorbs these nutrients. If you already have a compromised and weakened digestive system you may want take digestive enzymes with your meals or smoothies. Its just common sense that these enzymes may help to absorb the nutrients.

My go to smoothie that I make and drink daily is a green smoothie. A lot of people may find this strong and not sweet but you can add a few fruits to it to sweeten it. The recipe that I created and use is pretty good! I really hope you enjoy this.

Green Smoothie Recipe: 
Makes enough for 1.5 people.

1) A handful of Spinach
2) A handful of Romaine hearts lettuce
3) Less than a handful of kale (Remember too much kale makes the smoothie too strong)
4) 2-3 Broccoli florets
5) 1/2 teaspoon of Chia seeds
6) 1/2 Apple
7) 2 unpitted dates
8) 1/2 Avocado
9) 1 Scoop of Vega Protein & Greens Powder (Vanilla Flavour)
10) 1/4 teaspoon of Spirulina powder- This powder is packed with protein.  
11) 1 glass of filtered water- I pour it to the 2 cup mark on the Blendtech blender.

The feeling you get when you use heat on your body is usually one of relief and bliss. Ice on the other hand is one where majority of the people usually cringe when it is applied to your skin, unless it is a hot and humid day outside. Although, everybody has different preferences and some might prefer the feeling of ice on their body regardless of the situation.

Brain health has been a special interest of mine and I have realized that as humans, we forget to pay attention to the importance that brain health has on correcting our physical problems, whether that is joint, ligament, nerve or muscle pain. This is not to say that isolating and treating the specific injury is not important, I have learned from my findings that one should also treat the brain through nutrition. A lot of people cringe for some reason when they are told to eat healthy and to make dietary changes, whether that is cutting down or eliminating sugars or grains. If you had a Ferrari, would you ever put cheap gas or oil in it? Probably not, so why would you put poor quality food into your body that might be damaging your brain and body? From my personal and clinical experience, I feel that when one is treating a physical injury you must also focus on the mental part and feed it the right things from an emotional, physical and nutritional point of view. Dr. Daniel Amen, who is a neurologist has written many notable books on the brain suggesting that, changing your brain can change your body. Dr. David Perlmutter, also has a really good book entitled “Brain Maker” which focuses on how our stomach impacts the health of our brain, which in turn affects our body. I would highly suggest reading books by any one of these authors.

The brain has a strong connection to the gut and it is something that significantly influences the brain? Research shows that the gut is the second brain. Why is this? Simply due to the fact that scientists have discovered that there are so many neurons in the gut. The gut has been found to regulate muscles, immune cells and hormones. Something that you might find interesting is that the neurons in the gut produce 80-90% of the serotonin in your body. The gut makes more serotonin than the brain does. Could this be why anti-depressants may not be effective in treating conditions like depression? It could be possible. Maybe its time you focus on supplementing your gut, with the right bacteria as this can help with brain health and in turn help with your physical problems. We can improve our inflammatory conditions, whether its an inflammatory condition affecting the brain or another part of the body.  Supplementing your diet with probiotics, whether it is from capsules or through foods such as Kefir, Yogurt or Kombucha are important and will help with your physical impairments. Remember that when you consume any product make sure the sugar levels are low as we know that refined sugars will create more inflammation in your body, which could aggravate your physical ailments.

Nutrition plays a very important role if you are trying to promote healing in your body. Did you know that foods such as grains, sweet peppers, tomatoes, potatoes, legumes and dairy contain a protein called Lectin? It essentially wreaks havoc with the lining of your gastrointestinal system and destroys some of our good bacteria that we need for a proper functioning body. Keep in mind that you can eat the pulp of the tomatoes. If you already have a weak gastrointestinal system and an imbalance in good bacteria you might want to consider eliminating these foods from your diet. Also note that if you are born by C-section, you have already entered this world with far fewer good bacteria in your stomach. It is important for these individuals to get probiotics in their diet to help fight off inflammation in the brain and body and to maintain good brain health.

We talked about the importance of the Gut but lets talk a bit about the brain. SPECT scans, which essentially measure cerebral blood flow and metabolic activity patterns in the brain have shown some interesting findings. Dr. Amen has found alcohol and drug abuse to be detrimental to the brain. Scans have shown a shriveled and scalloped appearance of the brain, especially in the pre-frontal cortex and the temporal lobes. Keep in mind that the prefrontal cortex helps with judgement, decision making and working memory. The scans also show holes in the brain in those who abuse alcohol and drugs. But what about those studies that show that a little bit of alcohol is good for your heart? A little bit of alcohol might be good for your heart and brain. Some studies might even show that people who drink one to two drinks a day are psychologically healthier than those who don’t drink at all. Remember a little amount of alcohol may be fine but if it is more than that and used for long term, SPECT scans show that the brain looks shriveled. Being addicted to inhalants such as gasoline, paint thinner, glue and lighter fluid show the same changes in the brain based on SPECT scans.

Caffeine is a very sensitive topic as I know how many can be on the defensive mode when they hear something negative about caffeine. Research does indicate that caffeine even in small doses constricts blood vessels in the brain. These SPECT scans have shown that the more caffeine you consume the more under activity occurs in the brain. The issue with caffeine is that it feels good in the short run as it gives you a cognitive boost due to its stimulating effect but in the long run it is creating problems to the physiology of the brain.

The purpose of this article is to indicate to you how important the stomach and the brain are to the overall healing of your physical problems throughout the body, whether its arthritis, headaches, joint pain or mood disorders. My rule is to supplement your diet with probiotics and digestive enzymes, eat foods that are low in sugar and that are alkaline as that will reduce inflammation throughout the body and brain. Also, Omega 3 fats such as fish, olive oil, chia seeds and grass fed animals boost brain function and they stamp out inflammation. Good fats and protein are also needed by your brain in order to generate neurotransmitters. My personal choice for a good fat is to eat avocados and to eat plant based proteins. A good plant based protein that I use is Spirulina powder. It is a blue green algae that has a great deal of protein in it. Most importantly feed your brain and mind with good, happy thoughts.

A little known fact about the brain is that balance exercises can also be good for the brain. In our brain there is an area called the cerebellum and it is responsible for balance, coordination and posture control. Research shows that there is a strong neural connection between the pre-frontal cortex and the cerebellum. Remember, the prefrontal cortex is responsible for decision making, judgement and self control. That being said, performing balance exercises regularly may help improve decision making, judgement, self control and other emotions. So do yourself a favour, when brushing your teeth, washing the dishes and other activities simply stand on one leg and multi-task. Its as simple as that if you do not have time to perform an exercise routine. If you want to take control of your brain, simply do the work and treat it well.

REFERENCES

1) Amen, Daniel. Change Your Brain, Change Your Body. New York, NY: Three Rivers Press;1998. 
2) Perlmutter, David. Brain Maker. New York, NY: Little Brown and Company;2015.
3) Schattin. A, Arner R., Gennaro F., deBruin ED. Adaptations of Prefrontal Brain Activity,        
    Executive Functions and Gait in Healthy Elderly. Front Aging NeuroSci, 2016 Nov 23;8:278.

I have decided to write about concussions as this is an area that is quite popular these days and something that I see a lot in private practice. I take a personal interest in brain and brain research so there is plenty to be said about this topic.

To start off with, a concussion is a form of mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI). It maybe caused by either a direct blow to the head, face, neck or elsewhere on the body.

How do you know if you have a concussion? After a hit or blow to the head have you ever experienced headaches, nausea, dizziness, confusion, memory loss, light sensitivity, fatigue or trouble sleeping? If so then you most likely have a concussion. However, from my experience, I have also seen clients develop concussion symptoms without even hitting their head. How is this possible? There is a really good TED talk by David Camarillo, that I would highly recommend watching. He is a former football player and a bioengineer studying concussions. It has been long thought that the brain is what moves around hitting the inside of the skull creating trauma to the outer surface of the brain. This is not true as there is very little movement of the brain and it is protected by Cerebral Spinal Fluid within the skull. Experts agree that the trauma is something that occurs deep within the brain from the brain tissue being stretched. Based on some work done in their lab it has been found that an area deep within the brain called the Corpus Callusom, could be the area damaged from being overstretched. This can all occur during forward, backward or side to side head movements during car accidents or in sports. Keep in mind trauma can occur without even hitting your head. 

Imaging of the brain such as CT Scans and MRIs with concussions are usually normal therefore imaging is not indicated. There is more evidence of structural neurological disruption with newer imaging technology such as Functional MRI (Diffuse Tensor Imaging), Qualitative EEG (QEEG) and Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy (MRS).

What occurs in the brain after a head trauma? It has been shown that there are some neurometabolic changes that occur in the brain after a head injury. This window is thought to be 10-14 days but some research shows that it may take up to 45 days for neurophysiology to return to normal. Its been shown that in the first 7-10 days there is a decrease in Cerebral Blood Flow (CBF) and Glucose in the brain. After this time period CBF and Glucose normalize. Once again within 10-14 days there should be a normalization of the neurophysiology in the brain. 

Should I be resting and what is rest? You do need both physical and cognitive rest and this is the initial treatment. The patient and family should be educated on restricting the use of the following; watching TV, computer, reading, cell phone, physical activity, school, sports and socializing. The patient should be advised on increased sleep, hydration and eating well. I should warn you that there is limited research on rest.

How long should you rest for? The research is still unclear on this. Some evidence states no longer than 48 hours, but you need to start some activity within 2-7 days at the latest. However, every human is different and symptoms and tolerance should be the guide.

What should I do during the rest stage? Listen to an audio book, listen to quiet music, meditation or relaxation activities, gentle yoga, anything leisurely that relaxes you such as knitting. Always use a timer and do not overdo any activity. Make sure to limit your activity.

I cannot stress this enough that conserving your energy during concussions is very important! 

How to integrate the patient back into their daily activities? There is a system similar to the weight watchers program where each activity is equivalent to a certain number of points. Sometimes patients are doing too much and are having trouble managing their symptoms. Some are not doing enough. How it works is that patients are initially given 15-20 points per day. Activities are given a point value, based on the level of difficulty. Patients are to plan their day to ensure that they have enough points to do the tasks they want to do during the day.
For example…..Going grocery shopping is equivalent to 5 points, talking on the phone is equivalent to 2 points per 15 minutes, washing the dishes is 1-2 points, computer use is 2 points per hour, meal preparation is 2-3 points, watching a hockey game is 5 points. Some other common activities such as attending an appointment is 3-5 points, working at your job is 1-2 points per hour,  reading is 2 points per hour and watching TV is 2 points per hour. Hope you get the point here, with no pun intended. Once you start feeling better you can slowly increase the number of points that you are allowed per day. Please speak to your physiotherapist about this system.

For an athlete to get back to sports/play the “Zurich Guidelines” are one of the programs used to determine when they should go back to sports. There are 6 levels that the therapist takes them through. Level 1 is where the athlete is not to perform any activities, level 2 is light aerobic exercise (light jogging, stationary bike) and level 6 is where they are back to full activities. One must wait 24 hours between each level when they are being tested. If the athlete has symptoms during one of the levels then they have to go back to the previous level.    

I usually get asked will my concussion symptoms get better? You may have heard of the phrase post concussion syndrome(PCS)? Well this is where symptoms persist past 4 weeks. However, if you do the right things, 80-90% of people who experience mTBI will recover fully. The remaining 10-20% will develop PCS.

There are some interesting management strategies for concussion symptoms. A lot of people have a challenging time trying to reintegrate themselves back to reading or using a computer. On a computer, the glare and backlight of a computer screen can cause light sensitivity and headaches. I find that using “coloured overlays”, which are coloured transparent sheets that one uses as dividers in binders to separate pages/sections work very well. You can buy these from any stationary store such as Staples. Just place the transparent coloured sheet (green, yellow, blue, pink or red, which ever one works best for you) in front of the computer screen and this will make a world of difference when you are looking at the screen. You can also use these on tablets, or cell phones. You may just have to cut them to make them smaller so that it fits your tablet and cell phone. You can also change the font size so that it is larger when using your computer. You may also use a blue light filter for your smart phones. Simply check out f.lux on your IOS. This works well is you have light sensitivities.

A lot of people with concussions have a hard time focusing while reading a book or a magazine or watching TV. There is something called “Binasal Occlusion”. It works great. It involves using eyeglasses. I would suggest going to the dollar store to purchase a pair of glasses. You simply pop out the lens and then add cloudy scotch tape to the edge of the glasses on both sides. Please see the picture below. It can be put on vertically or on an angle. You can do this over top of your existing lens if you wear prescription glasses. You will notice a dramatic improvement in your ability to read and concentrate. A high percentage of clients have been successful with this strategy.

From my personal experience I find that performing visual exercises are very important. In addition, balance exercises are implemented as part of the rehab. It is crucial to start with a rehabilitation program involving vision and balance exercises with a physiotherapist.

Treating concussions is complex and can take some time to recover. In addition to exercises, it is important to receive other treatments such as manual therapy and acupuncture for headaches and neck pain.

These are just a few of the strategies that can be used to help manage your symptoms. There are plenty more that can assist you.

Until next time keep smiling, be happy and stay present in the moment.

REFERENCES:
1)Shannon McGuire (PT), Concussion Management Workshop. London, Ontario 2016.
2)David Camarillo, Why helmets don’t prevent concussions – and what might. September 2016.
3)Ciuffreda, K, Yadav N, Ludlam, D. Effect of binasal occlusion (BNO) on the visual-evoked potential (VEP) in mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI). Brain Injury 2013.